South Carolina Business Review

Mon-Fri, 7:51 am

The South Carolina Business Review, with host Mike Switzer, focuses on news from South Carolina's business community with interviews of many small business owners and business leaders from around the state. South Carolina's nonprofits, including its colleges and universities are also regularly featured on the program, as well as many of the state's small business support organizations.

Ways to Connect

When a business owner looks at their marketing budget, they need to determine the best place to spend that money. Where is the business getting the most bang for its buck? Our next guest says that measuring your return on your marketing investment can be a confusing process indeed but is possible.

If you read Garden and Gun magazine or Bon Appetit, you may have noticed our next guest’s company receiving some accolades for their cast iron skillets. His company is also one of several that has found a home at the old Charleston Navy Base.

The activities of lawmakers, government and other public entities are under intense scrutiny these days. Which means that businesses need to be aware of the legal ramifications of their interactions with these organizations.

Most of us make regular donations to charities during our lifetimes, but how many of us think about making room for those charities in our wills and/or estate plans? Our next guest says there are certainly some things to keep in mind if that is your desire.

Earlier this year, our next guest’s Upstate company was named one of the “Top Workplaces” in our state by Energage, an employee research and consulting firm that gathers feedback about workplace environment. He credits their recognition to the company’s commitment to value and their appreciation for employee contributions.

More electric vehicles are on the road than ever before, more solar panels are on roofs than ever before. These trends mean there are more business opportunities for clean energy focused companies than ever before. Which is why our next guest’s organization puts on an annual summit in our state on this topic.

Water may be one of our state’s most important natural resources and one that is of vital importance to our business community. Fortunately, we have an annual conference each year that addresses South Carolina’s water issues that is attended by over 100 presenters, including academics, utilities, environmental law and engineering firms, and policy makers.

South Carolina has been in the aerospace industry for many years, but once Boeing came here we have seen exponential growth. Which is probably why the South Carolina Aerospace Conference & Expo, now in its fifth year, has become one of the most important in the Southeast.

Ever-changing tax laws create a constant need for updated tax filing software. Our next guest’s company has taken advantage of that opportunity to grow from a lean start-up to a global enterprise in just the last few years.

Huge demographic shifts are happening across our country and in our state that can impact many business models, which is why our next guest says that building a diverse and inclusive workplace should be a priority for a company’s leadership team.

With baby-boomers comprising one of the largest groups of our population, it should come as no surprise that another large group is made up of those that are in retirement mode. If that’s you, our next guest says there are five things you must know before you start your retirement.

When we interviewed our next guest two years ago, his company had just been created but was still part of the parent company. Since then, it has gained enough traction and business to become its own entity.

Mike Switzer interviews Jamie Thomas, CEO of Cognito Forms in Columbia, SC. Disclaimer: The Greater Blythewood Chamber of Commerce, of which Mike Switzer is the executive director, is a customer of Cognito Forms.

There can obviously be many sources of stress in one’s life, but according to a 2017 study from the American Psychological Association, 62% of respondents listed money as a source of stress in their daily lives. What is it about money?

Our state’s research universities have been collaborating with SCRA, a public, nonprofit focused on South Carolina’s innovation economy, to identify applied research areas in which we have high-caliber talent, infrastructure, financial resources, and commercial relevance. Two recent grant announcements have resulted from this work, one in the area of medical devices and the other in technology-enabled population health.

We don’t know if you’ve noticed, but everything seems to be going retro these days. It probably all started with our kids buying record players and vinyl LPs. The latest trend in retro we’ve just discovered is the restoration of the old mid-century beach motels.

Representational State Transfer may sound like a diplomatic term but in actuality, it involves Internet architecture and is better known by its acronym: REST. For those software engineers in our audience who use REST, you probably already know that South Carolina happens to be home to a very popular conference on this topic, or maybe I should say “unconference”.

Did you know that women now own more of the world’s personal wealth than men? This was first reported by the Bank of Montreal’s Wealth Institute three years ago. And yet, our next guest says she continues to see women being underserved and overlooked when it comes to financial matters.

The electric car industry continues to grow as almost every automobile manufacturer is now making at least one electric model. One of the industry’s big annual events is Drive Electric Week where electric car enthusiasts bring their cars out to the public to see and drive and answer questions. Columbia, SC participates each year and this year’s event is September 22nd at Soda City Market, the city’s weekly downtown farmers market.

Tourism is obviously a big part of our state’s economy, especially along the coastal areas. Now that the summer vacation season is over for this year, let’s check in with an expert who studies the Grand Strand area to see how they fared.

Since we last spoke with our next guest, we’ve seen some pretty powerful numbers for GDP growth nationally and in our state. Is “slow but sure” a thing of the past? Are we now off to the races, economically speaking?

(This show originally aired 3-8-18) With investments like the stock market and Bitcoin getting all the news these days, does anybody consider investing in art and collectibles anymore? Our next guest’s expertise in this area has been on display on PBS TV shows such as Antiques Roadshow and Market Warriors and the Art Breakers airing currently on the Ovation Network and she says you should be aware of the pros and cons (and maybe even the sharks) before you dip your toe into the art/collectibles market.